Rollercoaster

Trevor Merriden

• 29 april 2003
• 9781841124315

Samenvatting:

Vodafone is today the largest mobile telecommunications network group in the world. Its phenomenal growth in recent years has come to be associated largely with one person, chief executive Sir Christopher Gent.

The six years of Gent s tenure has been a massive rollercoaster ride for both Vodafone and himself. After taking over as Vodafone chief executive in January 1997, he enjoyed huge success in developing it into an international powerhouse. When the technology bubble burst, Gent and Vodafone took a seriously scary and prolonged downward plunge. Stocks slid to less than a quarter of the peak value and big questions were raised over his stewardship of his company.

In Rollercoaster, Trevor Merriden charts the dramatic ups and downs of Vodafone and Gent, and he assesses the underlying forces driving the man and the company from the early days of Gent and the battle for Mannesmann, through to why Gent left, what his legacy is and what his successor will bring.

The story of Vodafone and Gent is paradoxical. Loved by the City as a brilliant dealmaker, Gent himself is often described by those who know him as affable and self effacing. Yet he has somehow fostered a deeply engrained culture of ruthless ambition in those who run Vodafone in his name.

Above all, Rollercoaster is a fast paced and compelling business narrative that chronicles one of the most dramatic periods in business history.